This program was performed on November 29 & 30, 2018. Thank you to everyone who attended.

The Consul

Music & libretto by Gian Carlo Menotti

Join us following each performance for a 30-minute community Talk-Back with our community partner, Advocates for Human Rights.

The production will be presented in English with English supertitles.
Run Time: 2 hours and 23 minutes
There will be a 15 minute intermission.
Recommended for ages 13 and up

 

A government raid on a secret meeting forces political activist John Sorel to abandon his family and flee the country. In hope of ensuring his safety his wife, Magda Sorel appeals to the consulate of a neighboring country to provide their family sanctuary. There she meets The Secretary, gatekeeper of the Consul and purveyor of paperwork, whose adherence to bureaucracy obstructs the hopes of immigrants seeking asylum. As the months pass, long waits at the consulate and frequent visits from the police cause the Sorel family’s wellbeing to deteriorate and Magda’s mental health to unravel. Having lost seemingly everything, she must decide how to flee political strife and find peace.

Cast

Magda Sorel: Norah Long
Secretary of the Consulate: KrisAnne Weiss
Mother: Patricia Kent
John Sorel: Justin Spenner
Secret Police Agent: Chandler Molbert
Nika Magadoff/Magician: Gary Briggle
Mr. Kofner: Eric Broker
Foreign Woman: Amy Wolf
Anna Gomez: Corissa Bussian
Vera Boronel: Alyssa Burdick
Assan: Joel Mathias
Dancers: Darrius Strong & Jennifer Mack

 

Crew

Producer: Kelly M Turpin
Stage Director: David Radamés Toro
Music Director: Lara Bolton
Choreographer: Jennifer Mack
Lighting Designer: Adam Qutaishat
Assistant Stage Director: Rebecca Blackwell
Stage Manager: Mallory Lammers

“The Consul” is a hard-hitting piece of music theater, with uncomfortable parallels to our present moment. In choosing it to launch AOT, company founder Kelly Turpin has thrown a gauntlet down to those inclined to think opera consists mainly of prima donnas, pretty tunes and preening.

-STAR TRIBUNE